854

" I did lose a girdle: / here by her 'tis worn,
And my ring all golden. / That I e'er was born,
Do I rue full sorely / if thou wardest not from me
This full great dishonor: / that will I full repay to thee. "

855

Then spake the monarch Gunther: / " Now shall he come near,
And hath he such thing boasted, / so shall he let us hear:
Eke must full deny it / the knight of Netherland. "
Then straight the spouse of Kriemhild / hither to bring he gave command.

856

When that angry-minded / Siegfried them did see,
Nor knew thereof the reason, / straightway then spake he:
" Why do weep these ladies? / I'd gladly know that thing,
Or wherefore to this presence / I am bidden by the king. "

857

Then spake the royal Gunther: / " Sore grieveth me this thing:
To me my Lady Brunhild / doth the story bring,
How that thereof thou boastest / that her fair body lay
First in thy embraces: / this doth thy Lady Kriemhild say. "

858

Thereto gave answer Siegfried: / " An if she thus hath said,
Full well shall she repent it / ere doth rest my head:
Before all thy good warriors / of that I'll make me free,
And swear by my high honor / such thing hath ne'er been told by me. "

859

Then spake of Rhine the monarch: / " That shalt thou let us see.
The oath that thou dost offer, / if such performed be,
Of all false accusation / shalt thou delivered stand. "
In ring to take their station / did he the high-born thanes command.

860

The full valiant Siegfried / in oath the hand did give.
Then spake the lordly monarch: / " Well now do I perceive
How thou art all blameless, / of all I speak thee free;
What here maintains my sister, / the same hath ne'er been done by thee. "

861

Thereto gave answer Siegfried: / " If gain should e'er accrue
Unto my spouse, that Brunhild / from her had cause to rue,
Know that to me full sorely / 'twould endless sorrow be. "
Then looked upon each other / the monarchs twain right graciously.

862

" So should we govern women, " / spake the thane Siegfried,
" That to leave wanton babble / they should take good heed.
Forbid it to thy wife now, / to mine I'll do the same.
Such ill-becoming manner /in sooth doth fill my heart with shame. "

863

863

No more said many a lady / fair, but thus did part
Then did the Lady Brunhild / grieve so sore at heart,
That it must move to pity / all King Gunther's men.
To go unto his mistress / Hagen of Tronje saw ye then.

864

He asked to know her worry, / as he her weeping saw.
Then told she him the story. / To her straight made he vow,
That Lady Kriemhild's husband / must for the thing atone,
Else henceforth should never / a joyous day by him be known.

865

Then came Ortwein and Gernot / where they together spake,
And there the knights did counsel / Siegfried's life to take
Thither came eke Giselher, / son of Ute high.
When heard he what they counselled, / spake he free from treachery:

866

" Ye good knights and noble, / wherefore do ye that?
Ne'er deserved hath Siegfried / in such way your hate,
That he therefor should forfeit / at your hands his life.
In sooth small matter is it / that maketh cause for woman's strife. "

867

" Shall we rear race of bastards? " / Hagen spake again:
" Therefrom but little honor / had many a noble thane.
The thing that he hath boasted / upon my mistress high,
Therefor my life I forfeit, / or he for that same thing shall die. "

868

Then spake himself the monarch: / " To us he ne'er did give
Aught but good and honor: / let him therefore live.
What boots it if my anger / I vent the knight upon?
Good faith he e'er hath shown us, / and that full willingly hath done. "

869

Then outspake of Metz / Ortwein the thane:
" In sooth his arm full doughty / may bring him little gain.
My vengeance full he'll suffer, / if but my lord allow. "
The knights — nor reason had they — / against him mortal hate did vow.

870

None yet his words did follow, / but to the monarch's ear
Ne'er a day failed Hagen / the thought to whisper there:
If that lived not Siegfried, / to him would subject be
Royal lands full many. / The king did sorrow bitterly.

871

Then did they nothing further: / soon began the play.
As from the lofty minster / passed they on their way,
What doughty shafts they shattered / Siegfried's spouse before!
Gunther's men full many / saw ye there in rage full sore.

872

Spake the king: " Now leave ye / such mortal enmity:
The knight is born our honor / and fortune good to be.
Keen is he unto wonder, / hath eke so doughty arm
That, were the contest open, / none is who dared to work him harm. "

873

" Naught shall he know, " quoth Hagen. / " At peace ye well may be:
I trow the thing to manage / so full secretly
That Queen Brunhild's weeping / he shall rue full sore.
In sooth shall he from Hagen / have naught but hate for evermore. "

874

Then spake the monarch Gunther: / " How might such thing e'er be? "
Thereto gave answer Hagen: / " That shalt thou hear from me.
We'll bid that hither heralds / unto our land shall fare,
Here unknown to any, / who shall hostile tidings bear.

875

" Then say thou 'fore the strangers / that thou with all thy men
Wilt forth to meet the enemy. / He'll offer service then
If that thus thou sayest, / and lose thereby his life,
Can I but learn the story / from the valiant warrior's wife. "

876

The king in evil manner / did follow Hagen's rede,
And the two knights, ere any / man thereof had heed,
Had treachery together / to devise begun.
From quarrel of two women / died heroes soon full many a one.